Hifuu (Secret Sealing) Nightmare Diary ~ Violet Detector (秘封ナイトメアダイアリー 〜 Violet Detector) is a danmaku vertical-scrolling photography game and the "16.5th" official installment of the Touhou Project, featuring Sumireko Usami as the playable character and main protagonist. The game is a follow-up to Double Spoiler and Shoot the Bullet, which are similar in both gameplay and concept. It was released on August 10, 2018, at Comiket 94.

Contents

Gameplay

Violet Detector, like its predecessors Shoot the Bullet, Double Spoiler and Impossible Spell Card, is a collection of many individual danmaku patterns that the player can choose from at their leisure. In addition to the usual mechanic of taking photographs that clear enemy bullets, Sumireko has several psychic superpowers at her disposal, such as teleportation. The game features all of the characters who debuted in Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom and Hidden Star in Four Seasons, plus Reimu, Marisa, and most of the final and EX bosses from previous games.

Name and Concept

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Story

Sumireko Usami, psychic teenager and frequent visitor to Gensokyo, finds herself trapped in a nightmare wherein Gensokyo's residents are relentlessly attacking her with danmaku. A frustrated Sumireko decides to make the best of the situation by photographing the danmaku patterns to share on social media, and after doing so, finds that she's been freed from the dream. Three long weeks of danmaku nightmares follow...

Music

The soundtrack of Violet Detector features a total of eight tracks. Four of these are taken from previous games or music albums, and are all used during dialogue within a given scene. The other themes, aside from the title screen, play during any other scene.

Press

ZUN announced the game on his blog and Twitter account on July 19, 2018. The announcement included some info about the game and its release date, and featured some screenshots showing the main screen and some of the characters.